Identification of Heat-Related ESTs in Moth Bean Through Suppression Subtraction Hybridization

Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal), an important grain-legume crop grown in hot desert regions of Thar, under scorching sun rays, was investigated for heat tolerance at molecular level. In the present study, we constructed a forward suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library of heat tolerant genotype RMO-40 to identify genes expressing under delayed response to elevated temperature. Heat induction was carried out by exposing 14-day-old seedlings to elevated temperature of 42 °C for 30 min. A total of 125 unigenes (33 contigs and 92 singletons) were derived by cluster assembly and sequence alignment of 200 ESTs; out of 125 unigenes, 21 (16 %) were found to be novel to moth bean. Gene ontology functional classification terms were retrieved for 98 (78.4 %) unigenes of which 73 (58.4 %) ESTs were functionally annotated (GO consensus) where 19 unigenes were annotated with 11 enzyme commission (EC) codes and were mapped to 25 different KEGG pathways. We have identified a majority of heat-shock proteins (constituting 35 % of the present library) aiding heat stress tolerance to moth bean. An expression level of 22 ESTs generated from the above SSH cDNA library was studied through semiquantitative RT-PCR assay simultaneously under 5 and 30 min of heat stress at 42 °C.     

Two-field coset space realization of the spin-4 current algebra

A two-field realization of the spin-4 current algebra is obtained through the coset space approach. The transformation properties of these two fields are also deduced through the composition law, which turns out to be a simple generalization of the corresponding diffeomorphic transformation.     

PHOTOPHYSICAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF TRITON X-165 IN AQUEOUS AND METHANOLIC SOLUTIONS

Abstract Laser flash photolysis of the nonionic surfactant Triton X-165 was carried out at 248 nm in methanolic and aqueous solutions at different pHs. Cation radical, triplet, phenoxy radical and solvated electron were observed as the transient absorbing species. Various characteristics of these transient species and their decay constants are reported. Photoionization was found to be a major process and it was monophotonic. The results obtained are compared with the photolysis of a small molecule p -methoxytoluene (PMT). Fluorescence and phosphorescence properties of the surfactants Triton X-100, Triton X-165 and PMT are also studied. A suitable reaction scheme is proposed to account for the observed results.     

Linear and non-linear optical properties of hetero-cyclic aromatic polymers

We investigated linear and non-linear optical properties of non-fused and fully fused hetero-cyclic thiophene, selenophene and pyrrole oligomers. We found that these oligomers show relatively better environmental stability in their fused form than non-fused geometry. Linear extrapolation of calculated energy gap between highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) in the polymer limit exhibits extremely good agreement with experimentally reported band gap for thiophene, selenophene and pyrrole oligomers in their non-fused form. The lowest singlet dipole allowed excited state was calculated using time-dependent density functional theory and extrapolated optical gap estimated were in good agreement with experimental observation. Static linear and first hyperpolarisabilities were also studied as a function of chain length for donor–acceptor substituted polymers. The (hyper)polarisabilities are increasing as a function of chain length in both forms although the non-fused pyrrole oligomers show slow variation. Our study on hyperpolarisability also shows that donor–acceptor substituted non-fused selenophene oligomers are most promising candidates to contribute significantly in non-linear photonics and all fully fused hetero-cyclic oligomers show strong NLO responses.     

The Crystal and Molecular Structure of the Dinuclear Mo(VI) Species: [(cis-MoO2L)(μ-O)(cis-MoOL(OH2)]?·?CHCl3 where L?=?(S-benzyl 3-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)Methylenedithiocarbazate)

Abstract  The title dinuclear complex, [(cis-MoO₂L)(μ-O)(cis-MoOL(OH₂)], was characterized as a chloroform solvate. In this structure, one Mo atom features a cis-[MoO₂]²⁺ core to which is also bonded a dinegative, tridentate S-benzyl 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)methylenedithiocarbazate ligand (= L), via sulfur-, oxygen-, and nitrogen-donors, and a water molecule completes the distorted octahedral coordination geometry. A similar NO₄S donor set is found for the other Mo atom but in this case, the water molecule is substituted by a bridging oxo atom derived from the first Mo species. Two dimers associate via cooperative O–H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form a supramolecular dimer which, in turn, are linked into supramolecular chains via O–H⋯N hydrogen bonding. The complex crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1 with a = 10.4714(12) ?, b = 10.7627(14) ?, c = 16.708(2) ?, α = 87.916(7)°, β = 76.249(6)°, γ = 83.610(7)°, and Z = 2. Index Abstract  Dinuclear [(cis-MoO₂L)(μ-O)(cis-MoOL(OH₂)], characterized as a chloroform solvate, with octahedral Mo centers, are connected into supramolecular dimers via O–H⋯O hydrogen bonding which are connected via O–H⋯N hydrogen bonds into chains.      

Stability of Circular Orbits in General Relativity: a Phase Space Analysis

Phase space method provides a novel way for deducing qualitative features of nonlinear differential equations without actually solving them. The method is applied here for analyzing stability of circular orbits of test particles in various physically interesting environments. The approach is shown to work in a revealing way in Schwarzschild spacetime. All relevant conclusions about circular orbits in the Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime are shown to be remarkably encoded in a single parameter. The analysis in the rotating Kerr black hole readily exposes information as to how stability depends on the ratio of source rotation to particle angular momentum. As a wider application, it is exemplified how the analysis reveals useful information when applied to motion in a refractive medium, for instance, that of optical black holes.     

Designing a graded index depressed clad non-zero dispersion shifted optical fiber for wide band transmission system

Non-zero dispersion shifted fibers (NZ-DSFs) find extensive use in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) system as it reduces the non-linear effects like four-wave mixing (FWM) generation. A depressed clad graded index fiber with a central dip in the refractive index profile, as well as without dip, has been modeled to perform as an NZ-DSF using the spot size optimization technique. The performance characteristics of the proposed NZ-DSF have been studied by changing different fiber parameters; such as inner core radius (a), relative refractive index differences (Δ⁺), normalized end position of depressed clad (C), depression parameter (ρ), etc. for a given value of Petermann-2 spot size . By suitably adjusting the fiber parameters, the effective core areas (A_eff) as simulated here are very large (80 μm²) so that the effect of non-linearities upon them can be minimized. These NZ-DSFs have also been optimized for WDM transmission system. The dispersion slopes of the proposed fibers with and without dip have been estimated which are comparable with the reported results.     

Esterification and ketalization of levulinic acid with desilicated zeolite β and pseudo-homogeneous model for reaction kinetics

To maximize the production of esters (E), keto (K) and keto-ester (KE) by esterification and ketalization of levulinic acid (LA) has been reacted using diols such as 1,2-propane diol (PDOL),1,2-ethane diol (EDOL), and 1,2,3-propane triol or glycerol (TRIOL) with desilicated Hβ. This work aims to assess the conversion and selectivity for the production of esters using conventional and microwave-irradiated (MWI) reactors. Catalysts characterizations were performed using NH₃-temperature programme desorption, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller surface area (BET), Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda (BJH), scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and dynamic light scattering. Operating parameters such as reaction temperature (170–180°C), reaction time (20–80 min), feed composition (LA:PDOL/EDOL/TRIOL, 1:8/10/12), and microwave energy (300–500 watt) have been systematically investigated. Note that 99–100% conversion was achieved with the product selectivity of E (40%), K (30%), and KE (30%) with1,2-EDOL; E (56%), K (2%), and KE (17%) with 1,2-PDOL; E (69%), K(0%), and KE (22%) with TRIOL using D-Hβ as a solid catalyst in an MWI reactor. Reaction paths and kinetics were studied using pseudo-homogeneous (PH) model.